Morning arrived with a pale golden light that spilled across the palace towers and crept through the long corridors like a cautious visitor.
The air carried the crisp promise of a new day, yet beneath that calm lingered an unease that had settled over the castle ever since whispers of the approaching festival began threading through every chamber.
Valen stood outside her quarters, fingers curled tightly at her sides as she drew in a slow, steady breath.
Sleep had not been kind to her.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again, the flash of power, the moment her body had been thrown through the air, the horror that had crossed Kaelvryn's face afterward, and the fury that had burned in Lucas's gaze.
She exhaled slowly, avoiding them would solve nothing.
If anything, it would make her appear weak, and weakness was a luxury she had never allowed herself.
With measured steps, she made her way toward the King's chambers.
The guards straightened immediately at her approach, offering respectful bows.
"I seek an audience with His Majesty," she said evenly.
One guard hesitated before replying, "Forgive me, Commander, but the King is not within his chambers this morning."
Valen frowned faintly.
"Where is he?"
The guard exchanged a brief glance with his companion, and something suspiciously close to amusement flickered across his face.
"The training field… with Lord Lucas."
Valen closed her eyes briefly...of course.
Where else would those two be after the tension that had thickened between them in recent days?
"Thank you," she said, turning at once.
As she crossed the courtyard, the sharp clang of steel striking steel began to echo through the air, growing louder with every step until it drowned out the morning birds entirely.
By the time the training grounds came into view, a sizable crowd had already gathered.
Knights, squires, servants on stolen breaks, even a handful of lesser nobles lingered at the edges, drawn by the unmistakable energy radiating from the center of the field.
Valen stopped short.
Lucas and Kaelvryn stood opposite one another, blades drawn, shirts already darkened with sweat despite the early hour.
They did not look like men sparring, they actually looked like predators circling.
"What in the realm…" she muttered under her breath.
As though sensing her presence, both men turned simultaneously.
Their eyes found her instantly and to her immense displeasure, a dangerous smile rose across their lips.
Lucas lowered his sword first, resting it casually against his shoulder.
"Well," he called, loud enough for half the field to hear, "look who finally decided to grace us with his presence."
Kaelvryn wiped his brow with the back of his wrist, though his gaze never left her.
"You are late, Commander."
"I was not aware I had been summoned," she replied dryly as she stepped onto the field.
Lucas's grin widened, "then consider this a fortunate coincidence."
Something about that smile made her immediately suspicious.
"What are you two doing?"
"Settling a debate," Kael said.
Lucas tilted his head slightly, golden eyes gleaming.
"We made a wager."
Valen stopped walking.
"…A wager."
"Yes," Lucas continued smoothly, "the victor earns the privilege of your company for the entire day."
For a moment, she simply stared at Kael and then back at Lucas.
"You wagered… me?"
Kael had the decency to look mildly unapologetic. "You are difficult to summon willingly," he said. "This seemed efficient."
Her voice dropped dangerously, "I am not a prize to be claimed and I literally work for you, your Majesty."
Lucas chuckled.
"Oh, relax, Commander. Think of it as admiration expressed through competition."
"It is idiocy expressed through arrogance."
The surrounding knights quickly pretended not to be listening then Kael lifted his blade again.
"Too late to object. The match has already begun."
Valen pinched the bridge of her nose, "I refuse to participate in whatever madness this is."
"You need not do anything," Lucas replied lightly. "Simply exist. Preferably near the winner."
She shot him a glare sharp enough to skin bark off a tree.
"Fight, then," she said flatly. "And be done with it before one of you collapses from stupidity."
That was apparently all the permission they required.
Steel sang.
The first clash rang across the field with a force that sent a ripple through the watching crowd.
Lucas moved like flowing water...swift, unpredictable, almost playful in the way his blade curved toward Kael's defenses.
Kael, by contrast, fought like a storm contained within flesh, every strike deliberate, powerful enough to jar Lucas's arm even when properly blocked.
Their footwork blurred across the packed earth neither yielded an inch. "You hesitate," Lucas taunted, ducking beneath a vicious swing.
"You're joking right?" Kael replied, pivoting smoothly and driving Lucas backward.
"Careful," Lucas said with a grin, "your commander is watching."
Kael's answering strike came dangerously close to Lucas's throat.
"Focus."
The sound of impact grew louder, faster, until it became a relentless rhythm that vibrated in Valen's bones.
She had seen both men fight before but never had she seen them fight like this.
Minutes stretched and then sweat traced lines down their temples. Their breathing deepened, but neither slowed.
At some point, training blades gave way to sharpened steel, a murmur spread through the watchers.
"Should they be using those?"
"They will kill each other…"
Valen's jaw tightened, Lucas spun, blade flashing in the sun as he aimed for Kael's shoulder.
Kael caught it, twisted, and drove forward with such force that Lucas slid several feet through the dirt before regaining balance.
"You are stronger than last time," Lucas admitted.
"You are just slower," Kael shot back.
Lucas laughed.
"Liar."
Their swords collided again, harder this time.
"Enough," she called once.
Neither heard.
Lucas feinted left, then drove inward, shoulder slamming into Kael's chest. The King staggered, recovered instantly, and answered with a strike that sliced cleanly through Lucas's sleeve.
The crowd gasped but Lucas only smiled wider.
"Oh, now you've done it."
Power flickered faintly around Kael again, not unleashed, but present.
Valen's pulse quickened, she didn't know how the King's curse worked but if that curse stirred here…
She moved toward the weapon rack before she had fully decided to do so, she quickly took out a bow.
Another clash louder than the rest rang out as their blades locked, faces inches apart, muscles straining.
"You would risk injury over a foolish bet?" Kael growled.
Lucas's eyes gleamed, "you do know I never fight halfway."
Their swords trembled between them then Valen drew the arrow, the string stretched tight.
She did not aim at either man, instead, she calculated the exact angle, then she released it immediately.
The arrow passed through the air and struck the ground between them with explosive force, splitting the packed earth and forcing them apart.
Both turned sharply and then Valen lowered the bow slowly.
"That," she said, her voice carrying across the stunned silence, "is enough."
Neither spoke immediately, dust drifted lazily between them.
At last, Lucas huffed a breath, "you just had interrupt at the most dramatic moments."
"You were seconds from turning this field into a battlefield," she replied.
Kael drove his sword into the dirt, chest rising and falling.
"…Perhaps we allowed enthusiasm to overtake reason."
Valen arched a brow, "Pprhaps."
Lucas glanced from her to Kael, then back again.
"Well," he said, "who won?"
Kael studied the torn earth, the identical exhaustion in their stances.
"…Neither of us yielded."
Lucas considered this, then nodded once.
"A tie, then."
"A tie," Kael agreed.
Valen crossed her arms.
"Meaning neither of you has won my company."
Lucas sighed dramatically, "a tragedy."
Kael almost smiled then the tension dissolved, replaced by something unexpectedly light.
Lucas sheathed his blade.
"Another time, then."
"Another time," Kael said.
Valen shook her head, "you are both impossible."
Lucas stepped closer, lowering his voice just enough that only she could hear, "and yet you came to find us."
She held his gaze evenly, "I came to speak with my King."
Kael approached then, presence steady once more, "you have my attention, Commander but first the council needs my attention."
I bowed as he left the premises.